10. Leaving Divorced Spouse Benefits Unclaimed

Divorce introduces intense emotional and financial complications, but it does not necessarily sever your ties to your ex-spouse’s earnings record. If you were married to your ex-spouse for at least 10 consecutive years and you are currently unmarried, you may be entitled to claim benefits based on their record.

The rules dictate that both you and your ex-spouse must be at least 62 years old. If you have been divorced for at least two years, you can claim the benefit even if your ex-spouse has not yet filed for their own benefits. The payout functions similarly to a standard spousal benefit—you can receive up to 50% of your ex-spouse’s full retirement age benefit.

Crucially, claiming this benefit has absolutely zero impact on your ex-spouse’s payments, nor does it affect the payments of their new spouse if they remarried. The Social Security Administration will not even notify your ex-spouse that you filed a claim on their record. Countless divorced individuals walk away from substantial guaranteed income because they want a clean break or mistakenly believe their ex must grant permission.